JKIA beat notable nominees across East and West Africa in the awards category, including Cape Town International Airport, King Shaka International Airport and O.R. Tambo International Airport, all in South Africa.
East Africa’s busiest airport, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, was on Friday, October 18 crowned Africa’s leading airport this year.
The honours were granted to the country’s biggest airport [NBO/HKJK] during the 2024 World Travel Awards, whose ceremony was held in Diani, Kwale County.
“We are thrilled to announce that Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has been crowned Africa’s Leading Airport 2024 at the prestigious World Travel Awards!” the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) spoke highly of the award on Saturday, October 19.
“The award was received by KAA Ag. MD, Mr. Henry Ogoye, Ag. JKIA Airport Manager, Ms. Selina Gor, and General Manager, Marketing and Business Development, Mr. Abraham Kiprutto, alongside a dedicated KAA team representing JKIA, Diani Airport, and our Head Office during a colourful awards ceremony held at Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort in Diani Beach last night.”
Kenya Airports Authority staff receive the award for Africa’s leading airport handed to JKIA on October 18, 2024. /KENYA AIRPORTS AUTHORITY
JKIA beat notable nominees across East and West Africa in the awards category, including Cape Town International Airport, King Shaka International Airport and O.R. Tambo International Airport, all in South Africa.
Others included Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport, Morocco, Julius Nyerere International Airport, Tanzania and Kigali International Airport, Rwanda
KAA explained that the win reflects JKIA’s unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional service, enhancing operational efficiency, and continuously improving the passenger experience.
“We’re proud of our team’s hard work and dedication that made this achievement possible, and we thank all our passengers and partners for their continued support,” added the statement.
Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards seeks to reward across all key sectors of the travel and hospitality industry. The event saw national airline Kenya Airways (KQ) bag three awards; Africa’s Leading Airline 2024, Africa’s Leading Airline-Business Class 2024 and Africa’s Leading Airline Brand 2024.
This comes after JKIA in April this year earned recognition among the top 10 best airports in Africa by Skytrax, a United Kingdom-based consultancy headquartered in London that runs an airline and airport review website. Skytrax conducts research for commercial airlines, as well as taking surveys from international travellers, to rate cabin staff, airports, airlines, airline lounges, in-flight entertainment, on-board catering, and several other elements of air travel.
In the 2024 ranking, JKIA was placed 10th behind Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, previously called Haile Selassie International Airport, which was ranked at position 7. Behind Addis Ababa was Kigali International Airport in Rwanda at position 8 and alongside JKIA, they were the only airports in East Africa to have made the top 10.
The accolades come amid controversy surrounding the proposal by the Kenyan government to lease JKIA to Indian Conglomerate Adani Airport Holdings for 30 years to undergo renovation.
Through a Public-private partnership (PPP) deal, Adani will pour Ksh.238 billion to upgrade the airport by building a new passenger terminal, refurbishing the existing terminals, constructing a second runway and enhancing cargo handling facilities among other changes.
The opaque nature of the details surrounding the Adani-JKIA takeover has, however, caused the public to oppose the agreement, with various court cases filed seeking to prevent the deal.
Entrance to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. /MARVIN CHEGE.VIRALTEAKE